landscape gardenerIf you’re looking to give your front or back garden a complete makeover, then it could certainly help to have the assistance of a professional – especially if your vision for your new garden involves a patio, new fencing and bringing in trees and bushes. There’s only so much that we can do ourselves, and if we want the work carrying out to the best standard, it’s always best not to take the risk of doing all of the work yourself. The best way to get your dream garden is to hire a landscape gardener to put it together for you.

Of course, a project like this will most likely be pretty big and there are plenty of landscape gardeners out there, so you want to make sure that you are hiring the absolute best person for the job! To help you do that, this is our guide on how to go about selecting the perfect landscape gardener for you and your home.

Have a Vision for Your Garden

There’s no point even considering approaching any landscape gardening companies until you know exactly what you want! Without a clear idea of how you want your garden to look and what you’ll need your chosen landscape gardeners to do, you’ll be unable to narrow down your search to those who provide the exact services that you need, and they won’t be able to give you any accurate pricing quotes. So, before you even start your search for the perfect landscape gardeners, make sure you’ve got a very solid vision of your new garden.

Know what you need to remove from the garden (trees, bushes, etc.), what you might want adding into your garden (patios, fencing, water features, new trees, etc.) and where you’d like everything to go. You also need to be able to provide any prospective contractors with an idea of your timescale. When do you need the work completed by? How many days per week can your contractor work on your garden?

It also helps to come up with a budget, too. Make sure you have a clear figure in mind, as this will allow the gardener to confirm whether or not they feel they can complete all the work that you’d like for the budget that you have set aside.

Do your research before you come up with your budget, too – it’s no use telling a landscape gardener that you need a total garden overhaul, complete with water feature, complex flower arrangements and brand new decking, but that you only want to spend £300. It just won’t work.

Look At What Different Landscape Gardening Companies Offer

When researching landscape gardening companies in your area, make sure that you know which services each company offers. Every company will offer slightly different services – some will remove existing unwanted foliage from your garden, some will be happy to put in a new patio area, some will replace your garden’s grass, while others may offer a far more scaled back service. Once you know exactly what you want, you’ll be able to get a clearer idea of how many companies in your area can deliver that service as a whole.

Make a list of all the different companies that you may consider approaching for the work. Next, check up on the experience and specialities of the different companies. Do they have the necessary experience to take on your particular job? Do they specialise in the services that you need? Many landscape gardening companies will have sections on their website which set out exactly which services they do and don’t offer, so be sure to check those out.

Before approaching companies, too, check online to see if you can find any trust ratings, reviews or testimonials from previous clients – this will give you a better idea of which companies are the most reputable, so you can feel confident in the fact you’ve chosen the right one.

Approaching Landscape Gardeners

Once you’ve narrowed down your list to the companies that you think will suit your work the best, it’s time to start approaching them with the job and finding out whether or not they’ll be able to take on your job, as well as how much it will cost.

The best way to go about this is to put together a clear brief, which outlines exactly what different things you will need the landscape gardeners to do, what your proposed budget is and what your ideal timescale is. To get the most accurate quote possible, you’ll need to be very specific.

Be sure to also include details such as what your garden will be used for. Are you an older family who mainly use the garden to relax and are just looking to create the nicest patio area possible? Do you have children who will be playing in the garden each day and need it to stand up to that kind of use? Are you looking to grow vegetables, fruit and many different types of flowers in your garden? These sorts of circumstances could change the quality of materials needed and the amount of preparation needed, among other things, so it will benefit you in the long run if you are able to give this information to potential contractors.

It may also help to have photos of the current state of your garden, as well as the exact dimensions of how big your garden is. This will help the companies calculate your price accordingly. Bear in mind that some companies will request to see your garden in person before giving you an exact quote, however, so your estimated prices could be subject to change. Be sure to clear this up with the companies you speak to when you ask for a quote!

Once you have quotes from a few different companies, compare them, decide which one is right for you and get in touch with them to ask them to take it on. All that’s left to do now is prepare your garden for the landscape gardeners to come in and give it a fresh new look!